This is a partial list of man-made disasters in South Korea since the Korean War. It includes events that have a Wikipedia entry and other events mentioned in a reputable source.
Year | Date | Location | Number killed | Type | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1953 | 5 January | en route from Yosu to Pusan | 229 | Maritime accident | Sinking of ferry MV Changgyeong | [1] |
1960 | 26 January | Seoul Railroad Station | 31 | Stampede | At least 3,926 people rush to platform on Number 601 local train, according to the South Korean National Police Agency's official confirmed report.[ citation needed ] | |
1969 | 11 December | Departed from Kangnung Air Base | 0 | Terrorism | Hijacking of South Korean domestic flight | Korean Air Lines YS-11 hijacking |
1970 | 14 October | Mosan accident | 46 | Level crossing accident | A bus carrying 77 middle school students collided with a Changhang Station-bound express train at Mosan, South Chungcheong Province, to according to the South Korean KNPA official confirmed report.[ citation needed ] | |
1971 | 28 December | Seoul | 164 | Fire | Deadliest hotel fire in South Korean history | Daeyeonggak Hotel fire |
1972 | 15 December | en route from Seogwipo to Pusan | 323 to 326 | Maritime accident | Sinking of ferry Namyoung-Ho | Sinking of Namyoung-Ho |
1974 | 3 November | Seoul | 64 | Nightclub fire | Time Club fire | List of nightclub fires |
1977 | 11 November | Iksan, North Cholla | 56 to 59 | Explosion | Accidental detonation of a munitions train | Iri Station explosion |
1980 | 15 November | Kimpo International Airport | 15 | Aviation disaster | Pilot error on landing due to bad weather | Korean Air Lines Flight 015 |
1980 | 18–27 May | Kwangju | 187 | Riots | Demonstrations opposing the Coup d'état of May Seventeenth | Gwangju Uprising |
1982 | 6 February | Cheju International Airport | 53 | Aviation accident | Crashing of military plane from bad weather | February 1982 Korean Air Force C-123 accident |
1982 | 18 March | Pusan | 1 | Arson | Arson attack on U.S. target | Pusan American Cultural Service building arson |
1982 | 18 April | Uiryong County | 25 | Fire | Accidental fire in a club, fire escapes chained shut | List of nightclub fires |
1984 | 14 January | Pusan | 34 | Fire | Hotel fire | [2] |
1986 | 5 April | Osan Air Base | 16 | Fire | Fire at a military fuel depot | [3] |
1986 | 14 September | Kimpo International Airport | 5 | Terrorism | Bombing of airport by North Korea | Gimpo International Airport bombing |
1987 | 17 June | near Koje Island | 25 – 38 | Fire | Fire from an overheated engine and sinking | Kukdong-ho Fire [4] |
1987 | 29 November | Over the Andaman Sea | 115 | Terrorism | Airliner destroyed by bomb planted aboard | Korean Air Flight 858 |
1988 | 25 March | Anyang, Kyonggi | 22 | Fire | Fire inside of Green Hill Textile Company | [5] [6] [7] [8] |
1991 | 17 October | Taegu | 16 | Arson | Attack on a nightclub | [9] |
1993 | 28 March | Kupo station | 78 | Train derailment | Unauthorized tunneling under causing track to collapse | |
1993 | 26 July | Mokpo Airport | 69 | Aviation accident | Pilot error leading to controlled flight into terrain | Asiana Airlines Flight 733 |
1993 | 10 October | offshore near Puan County | 292 | Maritime accident | Sinking of ferry in bad weather | Sinking of MV Seohae |
1994 | 21 October | Seoul | 32 | Structural failure | Collapse of section of bridge from faulty weld | Seongsu Bridge Disaster |
1995 | 28 April | Taegu | 101 | Explosion | Construction accident leading to puncturing of gas pipe | 1995 Daegu gas explosions |
1995 | 29 June | Seoul | 502 | Structural failure | Department store collapse from structural overload | Sampoong Department Store collapse |
1996 | 17 September – 5 November | Kangnung | 40 | Military confrontation | Infiltration of North Korean spy submarine resulting in casualties to both sides | 1996 Gangneung submarine infiltration incident |
1998 | 22 June | near Sokcho | 9 | Military confrontation | Sinking of damaged North Korean spy submarine under South Korean navy control | 1998 Sokcho submarine incident |
1999 | 30 June | Hwasung | 23 | Fire | Fire at children's summer camp dormitory | Sealand Youth Training Center Fire |
1999 | 30 October | Inchon | 54 to 65 | Fire | Fire at illegal bar for underage drinkers | [10] |
2002 | 15 April | near Busan | 129 | Aviation accident | Pilot error leading to controlled flight into terrain | Air China Flight 129 |
2003 | 18 February | Daegu | 192 | Arson | Suicide attack by setting fire to a subway train | Daegu subway fire |
2008 | 10 February | Seoul | 0 | Arson | Arson to historic Namdaemun gate | 2008 Namdaemun fire |
2008 | 20 October | Seoul | 6 | Mass murder | Arson and stabbing attack | Nonhyeon-dong massacre |
2008 | 7 January | Icheon | 40 | Fire | Fire in warehouse under construction | 2008 Icheon fire [11] |
2010 | 26 March | offshore near Baengnyeongdo | 46 | Military confrontation | North Korean attack | ROKS Cheonan sinking |
2011 | 28 July | crashed near Jeju Island | 2 | Aviation accident | Crash resulting from fire in aircraft's cargo | Asiana Airlines Flight 991 |
2014 | 16 April | en route from Incheon to Jeju island | 304 | Maritime accident | Sinking of ferry from crew error and overloading | Sinking of MV Sewol |
2014 | 2 May | Seoul | 0 | Subway accident | Rear-end collision | 2014 Seoul subway crash |
2014 | 17 October | Seongnam | 16 | Structural failure | Ventilation grate collapse at K-pop concert | [12] |
2015 | 6 September | offshore near Chuja | 18 | Maritime accident | Fishing boat lost in heavy seas | Sinking of Dolgorae |
2017 | 21 December | Jecheon | 29 | Fire | Electrical fire in a gym | Jecheon building fire [13] |
2018 | 20 January | Miryang | 5 | Fire | Arson attack on a hotel | [14] |
2018 | 26 January | Miryang | 41 | Fire | Unknown cause; lack of sprinklers | Miryang hospital fire |
2018 | June | Gunsan | 5 | Fire | Arson | [15] |
2018 | 19 August | Incheon | 9 | Fire | Fire in an electronics factory | [16] |
2018 | 9 November | Seoul | 7 | Fire | Fire caused by electric stove overheating | [17] |
2020 | 29 April | Icheon | 39 | Fire | Fire in a warehouse under construction | 2020 Icheon fire |
2021 | 9 June | Gwangju | 9 | Structural Failure | Construction error during demolition | 2021 Gwangju building collapse |
2022 | 9 June | Daegu | 7 | Arson | Attack on a law office | [18] |
2022 | 29 October | Seoul | 159 | Crowd crush | Crushing the crowd during Halloween festival | Seoul Halloween crowd crush |
2024 | 24 June | Hwaseong, Gyeonggi | 22 | Fire | Accidental explosion in the warehouse of a lithium battery factory | Aricell battery factory fire |
2024 | 1 July | Central Seoul | 9 | Automobile crash | Elderly driver reversed into a busy crosswalk. | 2024 Seoul car crash |
2024 | 29 December | Muan, South Jeolla | 179 | Aviation accident | Bird strike leading to a emergency landing that overshot the runway at Muan International Airport and crashed into a barrier. | Jeju Air Flight 2216 |